It’s Thursday, so that means time for Mama Kat’s Writers’ Workshop! Today I’m responding to prompt #4: Describe how you would celebrate the holidays if it was totally up to you and money was not a factor.

I’m having some terrible writer’s block today and I blame it on all the righteous anger and frustration I poured into yesterday’s post. So, after spending hours last night writing, I went to bed with nothing. I’ve decided to alter the prompt a little bit and instead write about my favorite Christmas.

I’ve celebrated Christmas a lot of different ways. As a child, my parents held big parties on Christmas Eve. I’d help my mother bake pies and after the dinner, all the children would act out the nativity story. Once the guests left my brother, sister, and I would be allowed to open our gift of Christmas pajamas. Christmas morning brought presents and a breakfast of cinnamon roles and orange juice.

One year in college, I spent Christmas in Brasil. There was a blizzard and ice storm back home – power was out for days – but I got to lay out on the beach. I met my Mom’s extended family for the first time, toured the state of Sao Paulo, and ate the best food in the entire world.

The Christmas after Dad died, we had a family of 7 living with us for the holiday. I didn’t feel much like celebrating but the younger kids still managed to infuse our house with the Christmas spirit, and our small town rallied around my family to make Christmas special (this is perhaps a post for another day).

Last year I had a lovely Christmas with my in-laws. I got to experience a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner of fried fish (and pizza) and take part in all the traditions my husband grew up with. I loved it!

But I think my very favorite Christmas was the first one that Mark and I spent together. We were grad students, married 6 months, and finally living together (after the wedding he’d had to stay in Cleveland to finish his Masters, and I’d moved 3 hours away to start my program). I didn’t expect to do much, but Mark insisted that we buy a Christmas tree and he dragged it up all 3 flights of stairs to get it into our living room/kitchen. I made some ornaments, including the ugliest stocking holders you have EVER seen. ☺ Christmas day morning was very low-key, opened our gifts to each other, I made some cinnamon roles, and then I got started on dinner. We decided to host a set of young missionaries from our church for dinner and I went all out. I slow cooked a small roast and made cheesy potatoes, green beans, and a (slightly undercooked) cherry pie as sides. Mark had the brilliant idea of trying to cook artichokes, which ended up catching fire in the oven. Needless to say, we didn’t eat those and I haven’t let him near artichokes since.

I realized though that I think a simple holiday is the best. I’m looking forward to this Christmas, Menininho’s first, and starting traditions as a family.

I already bought his Christmas pajamas.

And please don’t forget to enter my giveaway! Tomorrow is the last day!